If you’re not reading Fumbling Toward Normalcy, you should be – she’s hilarious! And she’s a genuine New Yorker. New York City is one of my favourite cities to travel to so in the spirit of travel I asked Shana to share the inside scoop and plan my next trip to New York. She graciously agreed and I give you… New York City – Like a New Yorker!

Thanks Shana!

The Best of New York, New York

Hi everyone. Let me introduce myself…I’m Shana from Fumbling Towards Normalcy. I live in New York…I’ve been here all my life. I grew up in the suburbs, moved to the city for college, moved back to the suburbs and then back to the city. We recently moved once again from the city to the ‘burbs, but I still work…and play…in the city. Meaghan emailed me a few weeks ago and told me how much she loves visiting New York City. She asked me to stop by while she is in sunny Florida to give you guys some inside tips on how to have a great NYC experience.

There are a million things to do here…Broadway shows, museums, shopping, bars, nightclubs…you name it and you will find it here. But I think some things are better than others. If I were visiting from out of town, these are the things I would do…

Ride the Subway – If you want a truly authentic NYC experience, ride the subway. Don’t worry…it’s perfectly safe…and it’s the cheapest and fastest way around the city. The people watching on the subway is also fantastic. Get familiar with the subway map before you get on so you have a basic idea of where you need to go because the stations can get a little confusing.

Explore Central Park – Despite having lived in the city for many years, I had never really explored Central Park. A few years ago I trained for a marathon with a team and our practice runs were in the park. I discovered not only how beautiful it is there, but how much there is to do and see inside. If you are a runner, I suggest running the outer loop of the park, which will take you from 60th Street to 110th and back and you will pass the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Reservoir, the Shakespeare Garden and Strawberry Field. If you don’t want to go for a run, take a walk through the zoo or go skating at Wollman Rink or rent a rowboat and got for a spin around the boating pond. Make sure to take a detour at 72nd Street to visit Bethesda Terrace and the beautiful fountain.

Walk over Brooklyn Bridge – There is a pedestrian path that runs down the center of the bridge, above the traffic. My boyfriend J and I used to walk the path all the time and I highly recommend it…the views of the city are spectacular. I also recommend that when you get to the Brooklyn side, you make a sharp right and walk along the adjacent street. There is a pizzeria a few blocks down called Grimaldi’s…you’ll know it by the line stretched down the block. Trust me…it’s worth the wait.

Go to the top of the Empire State Building – Yes, it’s a little cheesy. It’s also very popular and the lines to get to the top are usually super long. But once you get to the top you’ll be glad you waited. The views are stunning and you can see the entire city and part of New Jersey as well. Try to go at dusk when the sun is about to set so you can see the views in the light and in the dark. You will be glad you waited.

Get dessert at Serendipity – This is a tiny little restaurant in the middle of an out of the way block and unless you knew it was there, you’d never know it was there. Their food is great, but their desserts are out of this world. The frozen hot chocolate is famous and delicious. In case you are in the mood to splurge, they also offer a $1,000 sundae. Be prepared to wait a bit if you don’t have a reservation. There is a little store in front that sells quirky souvenirs, so you can browse while you wait.

Have dinner at Four Seasons Restaurant – It’s a little hard to recommend restaurants in NYC because they can come and go so quickly. However, Four Seasons has been around for 50 years, so I don’t think it’s going anywhere. It’s pricey, but if you are celebrating an occasion there is really no where better. The service is amazing and the food is wonderful. When you make reservations (and do make reservations) ask for a table by the pool. Order the soufflé and the cotton candy…they are the house specialty.

That is just a very small sampling of what there is to do in this city. There are at least a million other things, but this post is already kind of long. I will leave you now with one last tip…if you need something or have questions or want a recommendation for something, ask a local. Despite our reputation for being mean, New Yorkers are actually really nice and very helpful. We want you to have a good time when you visit and most of us will do whatever we can to help make that happen. We are also really opinionated and we would be more than happy to tell you where we think you should eat dinner or what Broadway show we think you should see.

If you’ve never been to NY, I hope this post has inspired you to visit. If you do come to town, make sure you look me up for drinks!